Starching device



(No Model.)

W. A. JAMES. STARGHING DEVICE.

No. 535,500. Patented Mar. l2, 1895.

rn: Nn'ms Firms co.. PHom-Llwm. WASHINGTON. o. c.

VILLIAM A. JAMES, OF MILWAUKEE, WISOONSIN.

STARCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 535,500, dated March12, 1895. Application tiled December 9, 1893. Serial No. 493,212. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

' Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. JAMES, a`

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Starching Devices; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to starching devices, and consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of parts as will be fullyset forth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the stationaryportion of my said device. Fig. 2 is a like view of the movable portion.Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of said movable portion.

My device is designed to be used in laundries for the purpose,especially, of forcing starch into and through the bosoms, neckbands,and wrist-bands of shirts, preparatory to the mangling or ironing of thesame.

Referring to the drawings A represents the base-board of my device,secured as by screws a to a bench B, or other suitable support andprojecting therefrom as shown,`the free end of the said base-board beingsupported by a brace ZJ, whose lower end rests upon the floor, and whoseupper end bears against the under side of said base-board, to which itmay be hinged, or the said under side of the baseboard may be providedwith a notch, cleat, or projection to receive the upper end of the saidbrace, as preferred.`

The upper side of the base board is covered with a layer of yielding orelastic material C, (preferably a thick sheet of indiarubber) and overthis a sheet of muslin or analogous fabric D, is stretched, and thelatter is secured to the side edges of the board, as by tacks c c. E isanother .sheet of similar fabric, whose rear or inner end is secured tothe upper surface of the base-board, as by a transverse row of tacks dd, the front or free end of this sheet E being stitched or otherwisesecured to a loop F, preferably of galvanized wire, of such a shape andsize as to snugly fit over the front or free end of the base-board A andits stretched or drawn forward, the forward side edges of said sheetbeing fastened to the side edges of the loop F to form covering flaps ee, as shown.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I show the movable portion of my device comprising aroller G, the periphery of which is longitudinally channeled, orprovided with strips to produce a surface of that nature. In the formshown` in the drawings this is accomplished by fastening strips g g ofany suitable material (and preferably elastic or yielding, such asindiarubber) to the said periphery, from end to end. The roller G isformed with a central longitudinal bore to receive a shaft or jolrrnalH, on which it turns, the ends of said shaft proj ecting to receivesuitable handles h h loosely mounted upon said shaft H, after which theends of the shaft are preferably upset, or headed, as shown.

The body of the roller G may be made of wood, rubber, or any othersuitable material.

I is a partial cover or hood, made of any suitable material, such astin, copper, or other sheet metal, said hood being semi-circular inshape, so as to cover the upper part of the roller, and having downturned ends t' i with horizontal projecting portions j j the formerbeing parallel with the ends of the said roller, and the latterconforming in shape to and resting upon the handles h h to which thesaid projecting portions are secured, as by nails orscrews ff, therebyserving, in use, to keep the handles stationary and rigid with the hood,while permitting the roller to turn freely upon its shaft.

The operation of my device is as follows: A little starch is applied tothe upper surface of the sheet D and the shirt is placed upon the boardwith the under side of the bosom resting on this starched surface. Thenmore starch is applied, this time on the upper or outer side of thebosom, and on the neckband, and also on the wrist-bands which are spreadout on the shirt on eachV side of the bosom, and then the sheet E isbrought down, and the loop F fastened or caught over the free end of theboard, thereby firmly holding the shirt in place. The operator thengrasps the roller-device by the handles, and rubs it back and forth,briskly and with considerable pressure, over the sheet E thereby drivingthe starch through the described portions of IOO the shirt, evenly andthoroughly. The shirt is now ready to be dried and lnangled or ironed,and the sheet E is freed and the shirt removed, and the device is readyfor the treatment of another, in the same way. The hood I prevents thestarch from flying oft and thus prevents Waste and the spattering of theoperator and the laundry, and much better results are obtained by reasonof the yielding and elastic surface of the board than if the shirt bestarched upon a hard surface.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters I)atent, is-

1. In a starching device, the combination of a stationary board,provided with a smooth upper surface, a superimposed yielding or elasticpad, and a sheet of fabric stretched tightly over the same, a secondsheet of fabric secured at one end to said board and adapted to be drawnover the upper surface of the same, and having a fastening device at itsfree end, and a pressure roller for engagement with the upper surface ofihe said board, substantially as set forth.

2. In astarching device, the combination of a stationary board providedwith a smooth yielding or elastic upper surface for the reception of thearticles to be starched, and a longitudinally channeled pressure roller,provided with a central longitudinal bore, a shaft or journal extendedtherethrough and having proj eeting ends, handles loosely fitted on saidends and a protecting hood rigidly secured to said handles,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Niscousin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

W. A. JAMES.

Witnesses:

CLARA BARTHoLDo, N. E. OLIPHANT.

